1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to dispensing devices of granular material and is especially directed to an inhalation device for encapsulated concentrates.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
At the present time there are two types of inhalation devices for introducing a granular concentrate such as a medication into one's mouth. The older type of these two devices requires a person to place a desired dosage of the material in a chamber into which gas under pressure is permitted to blow the material into one's mouth. The other type of device provides for piercing a capsule containing the granular medication and then passing a stream of air therealong to pick up the granules of material that fall out of the capsule into the stream of gas under pressure and discharge same in the user's mouth. In the first category of dispensers, the amount of granular material brought into the stream of gas under pressure and dispensed thereby is determined by the area of the granular mass exposed to the stream of gas under pressure. It is readily noted that the amount of granular material will be greatest at the start of the inhalation procedure and diminishes as the amount of material in the dispenser decreases. With the use of medicaments, chemicals and the like, the high concentration at the start of the inhalation process may be harmful.
In the instance of the devices that pierce a capsule, the amount of granular material being picked up by a stream of high pressure gas is determined by the rate at which the granular material is able to flow through the opening made into the capsule. As can be readily noted, the concentration of granular material will not be constant but will vary with the same device under like conditions due to such factors as size of opening made in the capsule and the aspiration or suction effect of the gas as it flow past the capsule. For example, more granules of medication will be brought into the stream of flowing gas if the device is vibrated to cause the granules to move toward the opening in the capsule as against the device being held motionless and the granules remaining motionless in the capsule until they come under the influence of the suction created by the flowing gas. The present invention contemplates avoiding the above indicated objections to the conventional inhalator devices for granular medication.